Changing Headlining in 2door Saloon

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ryan0143
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Fri Dec 10, 2010 9:23 am

The headlining in my 2door saloon is a horrible cream colour and is abit dirty, i want to change it for a black one. Is this a hard job? i heard somwhere you have to take out all of the windows??

Someone also said to me i think it was droptheretro on ebay to spray it? they said they got very good results from it.

any ideas? i would like to just swap it out if possible for a genuine black one.
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ryan0143
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Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:23 pm

anyone???
penton08
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Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:45 pm

swaping the headlining is a proper PITA, all the windows need to come out and all of the sun roof trims need removing.
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BrewCity11
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:05 pm

Do you have pop-out rear windows or fixed?

It is damn near impossible to re-install the fixed ones, so as long as yours are pop-out, then its a relatively easy job, just time consuming.

Can you find a black headliner? I've dyed a few in the past with good results. There are custom kits out there as well.
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ryan0143
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:10 pm

hmmm mine are fixed :(, but i heard somewere you can spray them and get good results?

my car will be totally stripped out when doing this but ill have to mask up all the windows etc, has anyone done this?

how does the dye kit work?
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BrewCity11
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:28 pm

Here's how I usually do it:
-First, give it a good cleaning. Not sure if they have it in the UK, but I use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge pad. Works wonders. Clean first while everything is still attached so the headlining is taught.
-Remove front headliner panel
-sunroof panel (interior panel)
-slide sunroof all the way in, remove rails and windblocker (not all the way, just enough to get the dye on then you can reinstall over it)
-remove B-pillar covers (be careful, these break easily and are stupid expensive for what they are)
-remove interior lights and oh-shit handles
-remove rear decklid
-tape up the window trim and anything else you dont want to have dye dripped on (including your face, this sh*t sticks forever). Leave .5mm gap at the edges. Its ok, as long as its even all the way around, you won't notice that the edge of the rubber has dye on it.
-remove door insulating trim (the outer strip with the fuzzy on it)

Start dyeing. 3-4 thin coats should be good.

If you spray, just get some plastic drop cloths and cover the whole interior as well as the hole left by the sunroof, overspray will go up and out and onto your paint. Don't forget a mask, that spray is lethal.

Good luck. It really is a PITA job but makes a huge difference.
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12345kevin
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:28 pm

I've got a genuine black headliner from a sunroof model with pop-outs if you need it.

A fairly straightforward, but time consuming job if you've got all the trim and glass out of the way.
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BrewCity11
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:32 pm

Never tried, can you swap from fixed windows to pop-out?? That would be your best bet.

If anyone themselves or knows sombody that has reinstalled fixed windows in an E30, please let me know cause i want to shake your hand and buy you a pint.
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ryan0143
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Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:03 pm

i would pay good money for someone to change my headlining for :) lol

might give the dye a go then.
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